Kidnapping trial begins

MURFREESBORO — The man accused of holding three women hostage in a Castle Street home in 2014 began his trial Monday morning in Circuit Court with Judge David Bragg presiding.

“There were several women at the house,” said Assistant District Attorney Matt Westmoreland in the prosecution’s opening statements. “They were there, hanging out. There was a little drama over a guy, nothing physical, nothing emotional.”

That changed, he said, when Taris Frazier, 34 at the time, a Nashville resident, came to the house.

“He wanted to use the house,” said Westmoreland, “He wanted it quiet. He wanted them out of the way. It accelerated to yelling, punching — a knife was produced.”

Frazier is facing three charges of aggravated kidnapping, three charges of aggravated assault, a charge of criminal impersonation and a charge of resisting arrest. A previous charge of theft was dropped prior to trial.

Frazier is accused of forcing three women to stay in the back room of the house on Castle Street for hours between Oct. 28 and 29 of 2014 and physically assaulting at least two of the women involved.

One of the women escaped and ran for help. According to the report provided by the Murfreesboro Police Department at the time, officers surrounded the house and were able to get the other two women out safely.

When they searched the house for the suspect, the report stated, he was found hiding under a pile of clothes in the front bedroom.

When Frazier was arrested, he initially gave a false name, the officer reported.

Westmoreland for the jury created a scenario of several women sitting around, drinking, with one of them upset over “losing her boyfriend” and the others consoling her.

Westmoreland said Frazier forced the women to stay in the back room to the point that one had to urinate in the closet because she was afraid to leave to bedroom long enough to get to the bathroom.

He told the jury the defendant would try to paint himself a hero, acting to protect the other women.

“Think about what matters,” said Westmoreland. “Think about the ‘whys.'”

In his opening defense statement, attorney Jimmy Turner said there “was drama that night,” but pointed out that the events took place over “six to seven hours” and that other women who had been at the residence left with no problem.

“And you’re going to hear about this knife,” said Turner. “It’s a knife many people have in their kitchen –— like a steak knife.”

Christy Wells, dispatch training coordinator and supervisor for the Murfreesboro Police Department, was the first witness called and testified about the 911 calls received relating to the incident.

Wells told the court that two calls had been received from a “911-only phone,” one at 4:13 a.m. and the other at 4:20 a.m.

The first call, she said, was a whispered plea for help, but the caller gave a non-existent house number, and when the dispatch officer tried to get it clarified, the call disconnected. The second call from that phone disconnected also.

Wells explained the phone was capable of calling 911, but because it had no service, dispatch was unable to call the number.

They were, however, able to narrow down the location of the phone to Castle Street, she said. A patrol through the neighborhood did not turn up anything suspicious at that time.

The third 911 call, which came in at 5:28 a.m., came from a McDonald’s third-shift manager who told dispatch there was a woman on foot, beating on the drive-through window and begging for help.

Murfreesboro Police Officer Travis Henderson was the first to make contact with the woman.

“I observed marks about her face and called for an ambulance,” Henderson testified.

She was in such distress, he added, that he was not able to get much information out of her until the ambulance arrived.

As soon as she told the officer she had been held hostage on Castle Street, he recognized the house from her description and sent other officers to that area, he said.

Officers surrounded the house, and the police presence was made known with lights, intermittent sirens, and another officer on the loudspeaker commanding those in the house to come out.

After more than an hour with no response, Henderson “breached the back door,” forcing entry, he testified. A robot used by in dangerous situations was sent into the house and used to communicate with the two remaining women. They came out.

“They were upset and visibly shaken,” said Henderson.

Once the women were safely out of the way, Henderson said, the Special Ops unit performed a sweep.

“At this time, we’re not being nice,” said Henderson. “We’re looking for bad guys.”

Frazier’s attorney objected to the term “bad guys” and Bragg instructed Henderson to use the term “suspect” instead.

After the jury went into recess for the day, the judge heard comments from Frazier at his request and entered a guilty plea on the criminal impersonation charge.

“I’m really confused about what’s going on right now,” Frazier told the judge. “All this stuff these women are saying; they’re allegations. It’s not the truth. They’re treating me like a criminal.”

Frazier said he was concerned about his defense because his lawyer was not objecting to statements Frazier thought he should be objecting to.

“He keeps letting it go by,” said Frazier. “I feel numb. I feel like I’ve been taken advantage of.”

Bragg told Frazier the state presented its case first and when the state rested its case, the defense would have its chance to present his side of the story and call his own witnesses.

The Circuit Court judge also told the defendant that any decision he made as a judge is subject to review if Frazier felt he was being treated unfairly.

“You’re protected here,” said Bragg.

Frazier also requested that the witnesses be drug-tested, to which Bragg replied that could be considered it if it appeared drug use was noticeably affecting their testimony.